51–60 of 138 posts
Why use front companies and hide their activities? They are domestic law enforcement and not intelligence; shouldn't what they do be mostly out in the open?
2. FBI is both a law enforcement and intelligence organization.
I really wish this weren't on Buzzfeed.
Why? They're putting out more and more quality material, and it could be argued that they're getting interesting topics in front of a broader audience.
The reason I wrote the comment initially is because it seemed off to me—like showing up to a business meeting at a law firm in a pink and yellow plaid suit.
I was wrong.
Good on the FBI/DHS, I say. Not everything is a conspiracy.
It doesn't have to be a conspiracy to dislike it. Also, they tend to keep these actions secret, which doesn't bode well for government transparency and government trust.
You can't investigate a criminal/terrorist and simultaneously tell the public exactly what you're doing, step by step. It's not practical.
There are tradeoffs we all have to make. Idealism isn't compatible with the kind of work the fbi does.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. Circling surveillance planes are unsettling no matter if it is routine or not. I believe they should have warrants for these and maybe they do, maybe they don't. There is not enough transparency to know (even just a report of the number of investigations and outstanding warrants in cities or districts would be enough).
Why would they need warrants for watching a person in a public place? You don't have an expectation of privacy in that situation.
Why use front companies and hide their activities? They are domestic law enforcement and not intelligence; shouldn't what they do be mostly out in the open?
1. These are most likely not front companies but ISR contractors. 2. FBI is both a law enforcement and intelligence organization.
Any idea what is the altitude of these planes?
The last aerial surveillance case I can recall is California v. Ciraolo, which was about surveillance with the naked eye. I hope that these flights wouldn't survive a legal challenge, but I also believe that the FBI would be likely to launder anything gathered via parallel construction -- engineering a "normal" traffic stop, etc., based on gathered information.
As with the use of Stingrays, secrecy is used to thwart justice. I don't know how to stop it.
I have to admit, https://buzzfeednews.github.io/2016-04-federal-surveillance-... is not something I would expect from Buzzfeed. Huge surprise.
We are at the point now where if you are surprised by the serious journalism going on at Buzzfeed, it just means you have not been paying attention.